Banarasi Tandoori Biryani – biryani with roasted veggies

Banarasi Tandoori Biryani is a smoky biryani made with flavourful tandoori vegetables and long grain Basmati rice .

Biryanis are a favourite one pot meal on our Sunday Lunch and I am always in a quest to look for a new biryani . While searching for a good biryani I came across a video where a village cook made biryani in a bulk . He did not give any measurements or recipe but I liked his idea of roasting the veggies and adding to the biryani . With those ideas I developed my own recipe and the biryani turned out super delicious with a smoky flavour . I really do not know why it is called Banarasi , perhaps the chef was from Banaras !

The Biryani is whole some with loads of vegetables . The first layer has a mix vegetables like beans, carrots and peas and these are tossed in a flavourful spice mix .

The second layer uses vegetables like cauliflower and potatoes. Paneer makes the Biryani nice and rich . These all need a good marinate time , so that the flavours infuse very well . Best is to grill the vegetables on a charcoal , but of course I roasted them in an oven .

Basmati rice are a fragrant variety of rice , and these are further flavored with whole spices . You could check How to cook Basmati Rice for Biryani to know in detail .

Finally when the layers are arranged do not forget to poke holes and pour ghee also place a hot burning coal over a foil and pour ghee . The rice is quickly covered to capture the smoke . It is this smoke that gives the rice a absolutely fantastic and delicious smoky flavour .

Serve it with a raita or some curd on the side.

Banarasi Tandoori Biryani

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
2 cardamoms
2 black cardamom
2 cloves
1 small stick cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves
1 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

First Layer

2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee
1 onion , large, chopped
2 tomatoes , chopped
1 cup green peas , boiled
1/2 cup carrots , cubed and boiled
1/2 cup beans , boiled
2 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala

Second Layer

1 cup potatoes , cubed boiled
2 cups cauliflower , boiled
2 onions , sliced
1 cup cottage cheese , cubed
1 cup thick yogurt
4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients

Mint leaves
Shahi Jeera
Ghee
Coal

Method

First we shall marinade the vegetables and take the second layer .
Boil potato chunks and cauliflower .
Slice onion into thick slices .
Immerse cottage cheese into hot water for 5 minutes and drain.
Mix yogurt , ginger garlic paste and all spices .
Mix the marinade with veggies and keep aside for 1 hour .
After an hour arrange the marinated veggies and paneer in a tray .
Bake for 30 minutes or till they are slightly charred at 200 degrees .

Rice

Boil 6 cups water and add black cardamom , green cardamom , cloves and cinnamon .
Let the water boil for a few minutes .
Add salt and ghee .
Add the pre washed and soaked rice to the water .
Let boil till 80% cooked.
Drain the water and keep rice aside .

First Layer

Heat oil and ghee.
Add jeera , cloves , garlic , bay leaf , ginger garlic and onions .
Sauté the onions for a minute and add tomatoes .
Let cook for two minutes and add green chillies .
Add the boiled carrots , beans and peas.
Add red chilly powder , turmeric powder and garam masala and salt .
Cook for about five minutes .

Assembling the Biryani

On a stove top
When we have finished cooking our first Layer and our veggies are out of the oven we can proceed .
Place all the tandoori veggies on top of the first Layer .
Spread roughly torn mint leaves .
Spread the rice layer .
Poke holes into the biryani and add ghee .
Place a piece of foil and keep a red hot coal over it .
Pour ghee on the coal and capture the smoke by covering the pot with a lid .
Cook covered for 20 minutes on very slow fire .
Remove the coal piece .
Serve hot with any raita .

In an Oven

Take a oven proof dish .
Apply a layer of ghee .
Spread the first layer .
Spread the second layer.
Sprinkle and spread torn mint leaves .
Spread all the rice .
Arrange your garnishes .
Sprinkle shahi jeera .
Place a piece of red hot coal on a foil .
Pour ghee over it and cover the dish with a foil .
Bake in an oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees C.
Remove the coal before serving .

Here are some Biryani’s from other states –

Awadhi Biryani

Punjabi Chickpea Biryani

Hyderabadi Quabooli Biryani

Chettinad Biryani

Here is what I have been posting for Biryani, Pulao and Khichadi Festival –

Day 1 How to cook Rice with Absorption Method
Day 2 How to cook Perfect Rice for Biryani
Day 3 How to cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker
Day 4 How to cook Rice in a Microwave
Day 5 How to cook Rice in a Rice Cooker
dAY 6 How to cook Basic Khichadi
Day 7 Undhiyu Biryani

Print Pin

Banarasi Tandoori Biryani

Banarasi Tandoori Biryani is a smoky biryani made with flavourful tandoori vegetables and long grain Basmati rice .

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish, Rice

Cuisine Indian Cuisine

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Ingredients

Rice

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 cardamoms
• 2 black cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 small stick cinnamon
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste

First Layer

• 2 tbsp oil + 1ghee
• 1 onion large, chopped
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup green peas boiled
• 1/2 cup carrots cubed and boiled
• 1/2 cup beans boiled
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala

Second Layer

• 1 cup potatoes cubed boiled
• 2 cups cauliflower boiled
• 2 onions sliced
• 1 cup cottage cheese cubed
• 1 cup thick yogurt
• 4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste

Other Ingredients

• mint leaves
• shahi jeera
• ghee
• Coal

Instructions

Marinade & Baking

• First we shall marinade the vegetables and take the second layer .
• Boil potato chunks and cauliflower .
• Slice onion into thick slices .
• Immerse cottage cheese into hot water for 5 minutes and drain.
• Mix yogurt , ginger garlic paste and all spices .
• Mix the marinade with veggies and keep aside for 1 hour .
• After an hour arrange the marinated veggies and paneer in a tray .
• Bake for 30 minutes or till they are slightly charred at 200 degrees .

Rice

• Boil 6 cups water and add black cardamom , green cardamom , cloves and cinnamon .
• Let the water boil for a few minutes .
• Add salt and ghee .
• Add the pre washed and soaked rice to the water .
• Let boil till 80% cooked.
• Drain the water and keep rice aside .

First Layer

• Heat oil and ghee.
• Add jeera , cloves , garlic , bay leaf , ginger garlic and onions .
• Sauté the onions for a minute and add tomatoes .
• Let cook for two minutes and add green chillies .
• Add the boiled carrots , beans and peas.
• Add red chilly powder , turmeric powder and garam masala and salt .
• Cook for about five minutes .

Assembling the Biryani

• On a stove top
• When we have finished cooking our first Layer and our veggies are out of the oven we can proceed .
• Place all the tandoori veggies on top of the first Layer .
• Spread roughly torn mint leaves .
• Spread the rice layer .
• Poke holes into the biryani and add ghee .
• Place a piece of foil and keep a red hot coal over it .
• Pour ghee on the coal and capture the smoke by covering the pot with a lid .
• Cook covered for 20 minutes on very slow fire .
• Remove the coal piece .
• Serve hot with any raita .

In an Oven

• Take a oven proof dish .
• Apply a layer of ghee .
• Spread the first layer .
• Spread the second layer.
• Sprinkle and spread torn mint leaves .
• Spread all the rice .
• Arrange your garnishes .
• Sprinkle shahi jeera .
• Place a piece of red hot coal on a foil .
• Pour ghee over it and cover the dish with a foil .
• Bake in an oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees .
• Remove the coal before serving .

Notes

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#99

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